they could try waking up and finding themselves in just an average day in, say, Bangladesh. They could be living Syria or Ramadi. But no,they want the world to know about the grave injustice done to them by putting them up in the only facility on Goose Island that could sleep them all. Who was supposed to get the few rooms available in motel? Some of First class? Imagine the screams if the airline had sorted out the motel-worthy!

These mooks took an opportunity for a great story and a bit of adventure and turned it into a confirmation of what a bunch of poor sports Americans are in general. Only Americans think they are due a mistake and error free life.

I bet the lawyers are lining up.

other items are nice to have.

I'm no elite flier abut have had my share of flights and seen hard-working crews as well as a few - clearly the exception - who would not be retained if I were their HR Officer.

But my hat's still off to the all-volunteer Northwest Crew (presumably now converted to Delta) who flew us into Mogadishu in December 1992. They let me keep the pillow, too.

20 hours in the barracks?

United would have dipatched another aircraft and crew, within a few hours. Granted people had to go someplace...how big is this area? And how did arrangements get made for those barracks?

What set off my questioning alarm bells is that supposed reply from United...any rep responding would never say that the passengers can just rest on the aircraft.

There's something really wrong about this story.

According to this distance calculator link, Goose Bay is only 1483 miles from Chicago, but another 2476 miles to London. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distances.html?n=1137

If the plane had diverted to Quebec City, that was only 190 miles past Goose Bay at the farthest, depending on the plane's location when it was determined unsafe to continue to London. Plenty of excellent accommodations there for all passengers.

What does it say as to risk and danger of the plane's condition that the crew chose Goose Bay over Quebec City, or simply returning to Chicago?

We all know how corporations operate in 2015 - cut expenses down to the very bone, including maintenance and safety checks, and play the odds when it comes to having back up crews and crafts on call.

You expressed surprise that a customer rep would reply as reported. Customer reps used to be helpful. Now, apparently reflecting the corporate attitude toward customers, United's reps are abrupt & rude - whether to elderly customers in wheelchairs or parents w/infants. United just plain sucks.

But still, yeah, there's something peculiar about this story.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/here-are-10-companies-that-act-like-they-hate-their-customers/
In the U.S., there have been so many mergers that only four airlines—United, American, Southwest and Delta—now control 85% of domestic air travel. The result of all this consolidation: higher fares and worse customer service. According to the Department of Transportation, airline-related complaints increased by 26% in 2014. The number of lost or delayed bags increased by 17% between November 2013 and November 2014. And the larger United has become, the more customer service has suffered. In a November 2014 commentary for the New Yorker, Tim Wu listed a variety of ways in which the United/Continental merger had been terrible for consumers, from soaring baggage fees to ruder flight attendants to escalating fares (some as much as 57% higher on routes that became uncompetitive thanks to the merger).

Wu noted that baggage fees “soared to as high as $100” and that “change fees, which have always been outrageous, grew higher: $200 for domestic, $300 for international.” Wu was also critical of how United’s new pre-boarding policies affected people with small children. Wu complained: “I suppose that everyone has his breaking point. For me, it was while trying to pre-board an overcrowded flight to Miami with a noisy baby in my arms, only to be ordered back in line by a curt agent. At that moment, I realized that United had quietly eliminated the traditional practice of pre-boarding ‘passengers with small children,’ choosing to favor a few elite fliers over the convenience of everyone else.”

In the U.S., there have been so many mergers that only four airlines—United, American, Southwest and Delta—now control 85% of domestic air travel. The result of all this consolidation: higher fares and worse customer service.
Wu complained: “I suppose that everyone has his breaking point. For me, it was while trying to pre-board an overcrowded flight to Miami with a noisy baby in my arms, only to be ordered back in line by a curt agent. At that moment, I realized that United had quietly eliminated the traditional practice of pre-boarding ‘passengers with small children,’ choosing to favor a few elite fliers over the convenience of everyone else.”

Wu, who described the merger as a “consumer sinkhole,” is not the only one complaining. In its 2014 report, “The Unfriendly Skies: Five Years of Airline Passenger Complaints to the Department of Transportation,” the consumer-oriented OSPIRG Foundation described United as “one of the most complained-about airlines.”

The remaining few big airlines have developed Comcast mentality.

Those few elite fliers used to complain, and complain loudly over not being seated first, and you know money talks...

Of all the lousy treatment I have gotten from domestic U.S. airlines, United has been the worst. I think there is some kind of contest going on to see who can teat their passengers worse, United, American or Delta.

One time, I was on a nonstop commuter flight from Dulles, outside of DC, to Pittsburgh. It's a 45 minute nonstop commuter flight. Our luggage didn't make it. United's customer service phone took nearly an hour for a live person to answer to tell us that our bags would arrive in Pittsburgh "any moment now." Well, "any moment now" turned out to be three days, and they finally sent our bags up by truck. This for an AIRLINE?

Then there was the time we were flying from Düsseldorf to Charleston, SC via Dulles. Air France got us to Dulles just fine. United delayed our flight to Charleston for hours and then cancelled it altogether. They said they might have space on a flight in a day or two.They said they DID have space on a flight to Columbia, SC, and could ship our bags there on the flight. We rolled our eyes and said OK. When we got to Columbia, United there said they had no idea where our bags were. In Charleston maybe? We were so tired by then, we paid a taxi driver $250 to drive us to Charleston. The next morning, United's customer "service" line wouldn't pick up, so I took a taxi to the Charleston airport where they had live personnel. There at baggage claim was our luggage for anyone to walk off with if they had so chosen, been there since the night before, I was told.

Needless to say..............

You have no idea how they treat their employees.

I've been in the business for over thirty years and can't remember the last time a supervisor said "Thank you"

That has to be one of the most thankless lines of work to be in.

My long haul flight was cancelled, they did not make new arrangements, except, "How about tomorrow?". Then, I explained the re-routing to the agent (who was trying to be helpful). The new flights were then delayed so that I got to my destination seven hours late, and with maximum hassle. No apology, no compensation, not even a meal ticket. Mind you, being fairly high on the premier list, and having paid a business class ticket, I probably got way better treatment than the average.

Serious nightmare. Fares are being raised, and it seems that staff are getting treated worse.

I have flown United for thirty years, am way up in their mileage program, (which is not worth much any more) but am less and less inclined to fly with them. They make flying a major hassle.

"....once again we'd like to thank you for flying Third Class airways! We know you have a choice in air travel, and quite frankly, you chose poorly. From all of us at Third Class Airways, go F yourself with a fire hydrant!"

the passengers are lucky they didn't have that problem further from land. I had a London flight where we spent 2 days at the airport, but then again we drank 2 bottle of rum from the duty free.

Not knowing exactly what the problem was, it didn't continue its flight and it returned to Newark rather than Chicago. I've say it was serious enough to warrant the stop.

United was just too cheap to pay for them.

I fly United long haul - U.S. to Ireland several times a year - and it has always, without exception, been an enjoyable flight. Without fail, flight attendants on every one of my flights worked non-stop - they didn't arrive in DUB looking as if they'd had a good nights sleep as on some other airlines I've flown. I know there are issues with most every airline company, but I've never had a bad experience with United but I'm perhaps an exception.

OTOH my 1-hour United flights have no problems, and they're hemorrhaging money there: the airlines even want HSR built now!

And unfortunately there's no longer a Mumbai-Amsterdam direct from KLM, which would at least put me on Delta on the Atlantic leg. This time (tonight, in fact) I'm doing Air France, but I'll have to do a short hop from Paris to Amsterdam, which is kind of silly (but, hey, I'll get some pommes frites or something).

I don't blame the customers for complaining. Certainly there were enough hotels there from a quick internet check to house the 180 people. United just didn't want to be bothered with paying for it.

An interesting note Goose Bay was one of the sites where planes were diverted after 9/11 during Operation Yellow Ribbon.

while Gander is an actual town.

I've stopped at Goose Bay twice. Sounds like a lot of airlines need to step up maintenance.

I'm not familiar with Newfoundland and have never been there. I just Googled it.

Yeah if an aircraft isn't worthy of flying it shouldn't take off. United is just asking for something to happen by not maintaining their aircraft.

They know that the customer service is king.

I fly to Asia/SE Asia often. NEVER on a U.S. based airline. Except for Hawaiian Airlines. Asian airlines are very passenger oriented, and the food is usually good.

I doubt UA has any staff in Goose Bay.

That said the for the next 20 hours they were fucking useless in NOT getting staff there

Is that a normal thing?

Over 15,000,000 watches and counting.

[link:

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It's a few years old, but it still makes me laugh. Even when I'm delayed 28 hours and rerouted through Rochester on my Chicago-Toronto flight.

Thanks for posting it.

Fly with UA often have a litany of horror stories of being stranded getting to destination 1-2 late, stuff happens but dealing with personnel 90 bad 10 very good. They have earned their designation as worst for consumer satisfaction of any airlines. I have a very understanding of things happening but their attitude when supposedly helping in terrible. Worked with public and would never treat people that way, no matter how a pain they were, because that was my job. I blame corporate more, but a lot of the personnel have a very bad attitude.

Are you from West Virginia?

That would not have been pleasant.

They did put her up at a hotel.

A Pilot came into the waiting area and asked if anyone was going to Cincinatti, he'd drive the 5 hours and share the rental fee. I thought that was unique.

One flight was cancelled becuse they didn't have a crew...apparently couldn't make it from some other flight. My flight was only 4 hours delayed, but the airport was a mess. Almost couldn't see for torrential rain driving home.

I have to acknowledge the Pilot on our flight, as it was from Chicago to OKC...and he literally "threaded the needle between two nasty storms". It was touch and go whether we'd land in Tulsa or OKC.

Remind me to take another airline rather than United when I have the choice. Delta is already on my poop list. Pretty soon I will only be able to fly Southwest.

I'm sure a homeless starving family in Sudan was weeping for them

something has been happening since the 90s that isn't good for us 99% .